Automatic feed device for can-heads or other articles.



E. WEGNER & J. PETERS. AUTOMATIC FEED DEVICE FOR CAN HEADS 0R QTHER ARTICLES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 1910.

1,013,344. Patented Jan. 2, 1912 2 SHEETSSHEBT 1.

WM y PM: ji M Mung/f nw/a' RWEGNER & J. PETERS AUTOMATIC FEED DEVICE FOR CAN HEADS OR OTHER ARTICLES.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 24, 1910.

Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 M a IIll T S I: PATENT onrrcn FRED wnennn. AND JOHN PETERS, on ramron'r, nnwyo'nxgf assrenons ro sam- TARY CAN. COMPANY, or FAIRPORT,-NEW YonK, A conronA'r on -or new YORK.

- AUTOMATIC FEED DEVICE non can-Heaps on oTHEn An'rIoLEs.

Specification of Lettersfa'tent.

Patented-J an. 2, 1912.

Application filed May 24, 1910. Serial No. 563,183.

residing at Fairport, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic' Feed Devices for Can-Heads or other Articles, of which the following'is a specification. I

Our invention relates to improvements in mechanism or devices for feeding can heads or caps to machlnes-for performlng oper- 4 ations thereon.

The object of our invention is to provide a can 'head feed mechanism of .a simple, eflicient and durable construction, by means ofj'which the top or bottomheads of cans,-

can caps or otherv disks may be accurately, rapidly and with certaintyand reliability fed from a pile or stack one by'one'toj the devices for performing operations thereon,

" such, for example, as a coatingmechanism for coating the flanges of the heads or'c'aps,

' a seaming mechanism for seaming the headsto a can body, a can heading machine or other ,machine. v

- Our invention consists in the novel construction of parts and devices and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown and described and more particularly specified in-the claims.

Inthe accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification ligure 1 is a plan view of a feeding device embodying our invention, the same being, for convenience, illustrated in connection with a mechanism for applying a cement or packing composition to the flange of the can head and to which the can heads, are fed by our"im'- proved can-head feeder. Fig. 2 is a central, vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section-on the broken line 33 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 is a cross section on line H of Fig. 2.

' can head which is to .be fed, and 3 is a can support belonging to said machine, and to which support the head is to be fed by my improved feed mechanism.

the frame of i it A pile or stack 40f can 'heads 5 placed one flat on top of another are contained w1th1n an open bot-tom can head holder 6,

preferably comprising a base ring furnished with three or more upright guide rods 7 for convenience of placing can heads in the holder. The pile or stack of can heads in the holder 6 rest-"or are normally supported upon reciprocating can -head separators 8, preferably two in number, and oppositely disposed so as to be engaged by a short segment of the lowermost-can head of the pile or stack. -The separators 8 are each furnished with a bevel face- -9 at one end to adapt them to readily enter between the can heads in the pile orstack and separate the lowermost one from those above.- The separators 8 are adapted to berecipro cated in suitable guides 10 on the frame of the machine. The feed'slide' 11-by which the can heads are pushed or fed one by one from theholder 6 along the stationaryfeed plate or'table 12 .to the rotary chuck or can 7 support-3 upon which they are to be delivered. reciprocates in suitable guides 13 on the frame of-the machine 'andis preferably furnished with a V shaped crotch or notch '14 for centering the can heads as they are pushed forward-by the feed slide. The feed notch 14 of the feed slide when the lowermost can head has been released by the separators 8. The separators 8 are given the necessaryreci-procating movement to cause them to alternately support the pile of can heads in the holder 6 and .to permit the same to be alternately supported by the spring fingers or supports 15 of the can head feed slide, and to cause them on. their return movement .to separate the .lowermost can head .from the stack or pile, preferably by means of a slide 119, the cross bar .20 of which is connected by a lever 21 and slotted link 22 with the feed slide 11 by a pin 23, which =fit's in a long slot 24 of the link 22: The feed slidell may be reciprocatedby any suitable'connecting mechanism, such, for example, as a connecting link and lever, not shown, from the driving shaft 2, or other movingpart of the machine, to the chuck or can support 3 of which the can heads are'to be fed, H

In operation, when the feed'slid'e 11 is retracted, as shown in the figures of the drawing, the can heads in the holder Brest upon the separators 8 when the feed slide l l'makes its forward stroke to push the can heads upon the feed table12 onto. the support? The reciprocating separators 8 arepushed forward at the final portion of the stroke of the feed slide 11, thus causing the pile of can heads in the holder 6 to drop down upon the spring'fingers or supports 15 of the feed slide which now supports the. can heads in theholder. And whenthe feed slide 11 makes its returnstroke at the final portion thereof, the beveled end edges of'the' sepa rators 8 enter between'the lowermost can head and those above itin the holder, thus separating the lowermost can head from the pile or stack, the spring fingers or yielding supports 15 yielding sufficiently to permit the separators 8' to thus enter between the can heads, thereby separating the lowermost can head from those above it and permitting it todrop down upon the feed table 12 inspesition to be pushed forward by the next forward stroke of the feed slide. The fingers 15 being yielding or spring supported, enables the separators 8 to readily enter between the lowermostcan head and those above it,a1'1d renders it unnecessary forthe separators to raise the entire pile or stack of can heads which might interfere with the rapid operation of the machine, especially if the can heads should tend to bind in the holder while the separators are entering hetweenthe can heads toforce the can heads upward. The

lever 21 is connected to the cross bar 20 of the slide 19 by a pin 25 which passes through a slot'26 in the lever. The feed slide 11 is furnished with an ejector finger 27 for pushing the. can head from the rotary chuck or support-3 after it has been operated upon by the mechanism to which the can head is fed.

The ejector finger 27 has a spring 28 which yieldingly holds it in position so-that it may swing out of the way and thus pass the can head on the supper-t3 when the feed slide makes. its return movement.

We claim 1. In a feed device forfe'e'ding can heads or other articles one by one from a pile or;

stack, the combination with a holder, for the articles to be fed, of a"reciprocating feedslide and reciprocatingseparators, said feed slide and separators moving'in the same .di-

rection alternatelysupportingthe pile of artides in the holder,-substantially as. speci-,

2. In a feed device for feeding can heads or other articles one by one from a pile or stack, the combination with a holder for the articles to be fed, of a reciprocatingfeed slide and reciprocating separators, said feed slide and separators alternately supporting the pile of articles'in the holder, said feed slide having yielding supporting fingers for engagement with the can heads, substantially as specified 1 r I 3. In a feed mechanism for can heads or other articles, the combination with a holder for containing the articles to be fed in a pile or stack, "of a'reciprocating feed slide having spring supported fingers and movable separators, said separators'and fingers moving in the same direction alternately supporting the stack orpile of articles in the holder and 'connectlng means between said separator and said feed slide for actuating the separators from the feed slide, substantially as specified. a

4. In afeed mechanism for can heads or other articles, the combination with aholder for containing the articles to be fed in a pile or stack, of a reciprocating feed slide having, spring supported fingers and movable separators, said separators and fingers alternately supporting the stack or pile of arti- Y cles'in the. holder and connecting means between said separator and saidfeed slide for actuating the separatorsfrom the feed slide, said connecting mechanism comprising a le- Eel;1 and a slotted link, substantially as speci- 5. In a 'feed device for feeding can heads "or other articles one by one from a lie or slideand reciprocating separators, said feed slide and'se'parators moving in the same directlon andalternat'ely supperting the pile of articles in the holder, said slide'being provided with a pivotally mounted spring controlled finger on its forward end, substantially as specified.

7 In a feed device for feeding can heads or other articles one by, one to a station where the can head is adapted to be operated upon, the combinationwith a holder for the articles to be fed, of a reciprocating feed slide, said slide having means thereon for to the operating station, substantially as cutting out the lowermost can head in the specified.

holder upon a complete reciprocation, said slide having also thereon at its forward end a yieldingly mounted finger adapted to engage and eject a can head .fed by the slide on a preceding movement, from the operating station, in advance of the can head being fed FRED VVEGNER. JOHN PETERS.

Witnesses; I

ORLO H. ADAMS, EDITH C. Bmzzpn. 

